LORAIN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Henry Patterson AKHS, Class of 1993

President

Anthony Giardini AKHS, Class of 1969

Vice President

Sue (DiLuciano) Bylica AKHS, Class of 1970

Secretary

Bambi (Dimacchia) Dillon LHS, Class of 1972

Treasurer

Mia Arredondo SVHS, Class of 2006

Mark Ballard AKHS, Class of 1986

Anita Cruz SVHS, Class of 2004

Kathy (Pankratz) Lathwell LHS, Class of 1967

Fred Lozano SVHS, Class of 1993

Jeremy Leyva SVHS, Class of 2000

Cel Rivera AKHS, Class of 1968

Raul Ramos AKHS, Class of 1964

Bill Rufo AKSH, Class of 1967

Bill Sturgill LHS, Class of 1968

Jose Torres SVHS, Class of 1995

COMMITTEE

CLASS OF 2018

DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI INDUCTION

Saturday, June 23, 2018

INAUGURAL

ORDER OF EVENTS

Welcome Henry Patterson

Invocation Pastor Tim Williams

Breakfast Aramark

Remarks Mayor Chase Ritenauer

Introduction of Inductees Jay Ferguson

Jim Bonaminio AKHS, Class of 1967

Patsie C. Campana, Sr. LHS, Class of 1940A

Leonard DeLuca LHS, Class of 1953A

Michael Dirda AKHS, Class of 1966

Kel Fligner LHS, Class of 1957B

Vangee Gomez SVHS, Class of 1993

Robert Gradisek AKHS, Class of 1969

Carmelene (Dimacchia) Januzzi

LHS, Class of 1947B

Ilche Nonevski SVHS, Class of 1993

Jaclyn (Bradley) Palmer LC, Class of 1997

Ramon Rivas SVHS,Class of 2003

Tiffany Tarpley AKHS,Class of 1998

Special thanks to Mayor Chase Ritenauer for his generous sponsor-

ship of the induction plaques for this year’s inductees.

Tiffany Tarpley is a 1997 graduate of Lorain Admiral King High

School. During high school, Tiffany was extremely active. She

participated in Chamber Choir, Senior Committee, Student Coun-

cil, and Junior Achievement among other organizations. She was

also active in the community and in her church, Friendship Bap-

tist. However, during her senior year she was part of Unity

Club’s black history month program where she recited Maya An-

gelou’s poem, ‘And Still I Rise’ in front of the entire school. Tiffa-

ny shared that this was a defining moment in her life as this ex-

perience reinforced that she wanted to make public speaking a

key aspect of her life and career.

Following graduation, she attended Lorain County Community

College and earned an associate’s degree in communications. She

then transferred to Bowling Green State University and earned a

bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism and was honored as

the Broadcast Journalist of the Year.

Following graduation, Tiffany began her career in broadcast

journalism by working for news outlets in Milwaukee, WI; Lima

and Toledo, Ohio where her weekend team earned two regional

Emmy awards. Tiffany joined Chanel 3 news in March 2014

where she currently reports on weekdays for the morning news-

casts and hosts WKYC’s “We The People” community affairs

show.

TIFFANY

TARPLEY

Admiral King

Class of 1997

RAMON

RIVAS, II

Southview

Class of 2003

Ramon is a 2003 graduate of Southview High School. During high school, he was Key Club President and was named “class clown” and earned the “most spir-it” award. Following graduation, he attended Den-ison University and Lorain County Community Col-lege, but he realized that the traditional academic setting wasn’t the path for him. Instead, he drew up-on his early experiences selling candy out of a brief-case to channel his inner hustler and started telling jokes to embark on a career in comedy.

Over time, he made a name for himself by building up the comedy scene in Cleveland through his founding of the “Accidental Comedy” production which is dedi-cated to enriching the arts in North East Ohio through comedy and other productions.

Professionally, his comedic talents have resulted in his appearances on Comedy Central’s “The Half Hour” (2016), @midnight (2016-17), and Broad City (2018). He also has appeared in HBO’s Crashing and has made numerous appearance on VICELAND.

JIM

BONAMINIO

Admiral King

Class of 1967

James Bonaminio is a 1967 graduate of Admiral King High

School. Following graduation, Jim attended Miami University

as a business major but did not graduate. Instead, he put his

entrepreneurial abilities to work by selling produce from the

back of a truck while he lived in an abandoned gas station.

Over time he progressed to a fruit stand, then a farmer’s mar-

ket, then a grocery store.

Today, he is the creator, CEO, and namesake of Jungle Jim’s

International Market in southwest Ohio where he has two lo-

cations with more than 500,000 square feet of combined

space that has become a destination for foodies, tourists, and

weekly shoppers. In case anyone asked how he earned the

name, “Jungle Jim”, it happened when a produce supplier

dubbed him, “Jungle Jim” because he always dressed in shorts.

Patsie C. Campana, Sr., was a proud Italian immigrant who

was born in Barrea, Italy, and at the age of three, immigrated

to the United States. He would graduate from Lorain High’s

1940B class. Following graduation, he proudly served in the

U.S. Navy as a deep sea diver throughout the Pacific Campaign

during World War II logging over 1,200 hours underwater.

Following his military service, he didn’t have the opportunity

to attend college; however, he was able to absorb a great deal

through conversations with knowledgeable people in his field.

Consequently, at the age of 49, with six children at home, P.C.

started his own company, P.C. Campana, Inc., which is the

master provider for the steel, foundry supplies and tube in-

dustries in North America and abroad. Today, P.C. Campana,

Inc. has grown to a multi-million dollar conglomerate that is

respected in its industry.

Despite all of his professional successes, Patsie’s greatest ac-

complishments were through his quiet philanthropic support

for his community and those in need. He was forever grateful for the freedoms and opportunities granted to him as an American citizen.

PATSIE C.

CAMPANA, SR.

Lorain High

Class of 1940B

JACLYN

BRADLEY

PALMER

Lorain Catholic

Class of 1997

Jaclyn is a 1997 graduate of Lorain Catholic high school. During High School, she had a principle role in the musical, “Godspell”. The production was received so well that it sold out and was ex-tended for another week—a first in school history. She also fondly recalls the yearly trips to New York City as part of the dra-ma club where she was able to attend Broadway shows and tour Manhattan. While at LC, she was a member of the Drama Club, President of National Honor Society, Choir and served as Secre-tary of Student Council.

Following graduation, Jaclyn attended Indiana University where she earned a Bachelors of Music with emphasis on Vocal Perfor-mance. She also completed post Baccalaureate work in Music Therapy at Cleveland State University and earned a Masters in Music Therapy from Colorado State University.

Jaclyn was a contestant on the 8th season of “The Voice of Hol-land” where she was the only American featured on the show. Jaclyn and her music have been featured on Bravo, TLC, VH1, MTV, HGTV, and Time Warner. She also was a regular cast mem-ber on VH1’s Breaking Bonaduce and has recorded four albums.

A board certified music therapist, she conducted the largest mu-sic therapy study in history to use live music in the operating arena—this study was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncol-ogy.

DON

NOVELLO

Lorain High

Class of 1961A

As a 1961A graduate of Lorain High School, Don was active in

the Scimitar staff, Acapella choir and the Cavaliers. Finishing

#101 of 150, he recalls telling his father, “I just missed the top

two thirds by one”, to which he responded, “I’m not impressed!”

Following graduation, Don earned a Bachelor’s degree from the

University of Dayton (1964). However, he quickly found success

in the 1970s by writing the bestselling book, “The Lazlo Letters”

which got him noticed by Lorne Michaels, producer of Saturday

Night Live (SNL) where he wrote from 1978-86. In addition to

writing, he gained worldwide notoriety for his creation and por-

trayal of the character, Father Guido Sarducci, the chain smoking

priest with tinted glasses who worked as rock critic for the Vati-

can newspaper. Don is also given credit for writing the Greek

restaurant sketches (cheeseburger, cheeseburger, Pepsi), which

was voted the best SNL sketch of the 1970s.

Don also has numerous writing credits in addition to SNL which

include the Smothers Brothers Show (1975), Gilda Live (1980),

and SCTV (1980). He also has acting credits from the Godfather

Part III (1990), Married...with Children (1995) and two Disney

animated films: Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) and Atlantis:

Milo’s Return (2003).

After graduation from high school, Leonard (Lenny) served in the U.S.

Navy. During this time, he completed correspondence courses in or-

der to graduate from trade school early. He then enrolled in baker’s

school.

Following in his father’s footsteps, he opened a bakery on 8th Street

across from St. Mary’s Catholic Church when he finished baker’s

school. He opened a store on Oberlin Ave. to sell his baked goods and

continued to use the other facility for his new catering business. At

first, he catered for the Moose Club, Elks, PACC, Slovak Home, and

church halls. However, Lenny dreamed of opening a banquet center to

cater more elegant events. In 1978, he was able to realize this dream

when he opened DeLuca’s Place in the Park. He went on to establish

the Rose Cafe in Lakeview Park in 2008 and the Orchid Room at Miller

Preserve in 2012.

Besides his business acumen, Lenny was known for his community

involvement by volunteering and serving on various boards and com-

mittees for Community Foundation of Lorain County, Lorain City

Schools Business Advisory, Lorain Catholic Advisory, Lorain YMCA,

Lorain Palace Theatre, and many other organizations. He also sang in

St. Peter’s Choir with his wife Sally.

Lenny grew up in Lorain and then continued to make it his home after

the service and schooling. He and Sally raised their two children, Vince

and Tracy, here.

He and his identical twin Leo cut the ribbon for the opening of the new

21st Street Bridge on the same day identical female twins cut the rib-

bon for the Bascule Bridge.

LEONARD

DELUCA

Lorain High

Class of 1953A

MICHAEL

DIRDA

Admiral King

Class of 1966

Michael Dirda is a 1966 graduate of Admiral King High School.

During High School, he worked for the school newspaper, was in

charge of his class’s gift committee (which acquired the two an-

chors that used to be located at AKHS), and worked in the con-

cession stands during football games. Academically, he excelled

as evidence by his being named a National Merit Semi-Finalist.

After graduating from AKHS, he attended Oberlin College where

he graduated with Highest Honors in English. Following his time

at Oberlin, he was awarded a prestigious Fulbright fellowship

and spent a year teaching in Marseille, France. Ultimately, he

earned a Ph.D. in comparative literature, with a concentration on

medieval studies and European romanticism from Cornell Uni-

versity.

Since the late 1970’s, Mr. Dirda has had an association with the

Washington Post, most recently as a weekly book columnist for

the Style section. He has also served as a visiting professor at

several prominent colleges and universities in the United States.

Additionally, he has written for a wide range of magazines and

newspapers, including Harper’s, The Atlantic, The Wall Street

Journal, and many others. In 1993 he was awarded a Pulitzer

Prize for distinguished Criticism. He is the author of seven

books: Readings, An Open Book, Bound to Please, Book by Book,

Classics for Pleasure, On Conann Doyle, and Browsings.

ILCHE

NONEVSKI

Southview

Class of 1993

A 1993 graduate of Southview High School, Dr. Nonevski had a

learning disability which was recognized, embraced, and over-

came with the help of math teacher, Vada Heberling, who chal-

lenged him academically. Additionally, Mr. Miller, like countless

other Southview educators, challenged Ilche in History and inter-

national relations as if he were at an Ivy League University which

helped to prepare him for future academic success. He ended his

career at Southview being Salutatorian, Senior Class President,

Key Club member, Model UN member and participated in Varsity

Soccer for three years.

Dr. Nonevski fondly recalled that he grew up during the “Golden

Age of Hip-Hop Music” which greatly influenced his high school

years. “It was diversity and inclusiveness of our schools and city

that allowed any kid that could appreciate the transformative po-

tential of this musical genre to connect with other kids on a deeper

level. Music has a way of uniting those of us that love it, much like

our favorite sports teams.”

Following graduation, Dr. Nonevski earned a B.S. in Chemistry

with a minor in Biology with Honors from John Carol University

(1997). He then earned at MD/MBA from the University of Cincin-

nati College of Medicine (2002) and completed a Residency in In-

ternal Medicine from Case Western Reserve University (2005) and

Fellowship in Gastroenterology & Hepatology from the Cleveland

Clinic (2008). He holds the title of Clinical Assistant Professor of

Medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine-Rockford.

Carmelene graduated from Lorain High School with the Class of

1947B. During her high school years, she participated in many ac-

tivities: library aide, choir, newspaper and yearbook staff, and hall

guard. She remembers walking to school 17 city blocks each way

and never having a snow day!

Upon graduation, Carm worked full time as a legal secretary and

part time in the family shoe business. All her training was on the

job. She married Albert Januzzi in 1951. They have four children:

Roland, Thomas, Paula, and Alan.

The amount of community service and volunteer work that Carm

does could fill a book. Some of these are volunteering at the Lorain

Historical Society, Lorain Public Library, St. Peter’s Parish where

she sings in the choir, takes Communion to the homebound, and is a

lector and a Eucharist minister.

Her involvement continues with participation in service-based or-

ganizations such as II Century Council, Lakeland Woman’s Club, Lo-

rain Catholic Woman’s Club, and Italian American Veterans. She

has served as an officer in these organizations.

She received the “Ruth Calta Community Service Award” from Mer-

cy Hospital in 2015.

CARMELENE

(DIMACCHIA)

JANUZZI

Lorain High

Class of 1947B

KELMAN

FLIGNER

Lorain High

Class of 1957B

Kelman “Kel” Fligner is a 1957B graduate of Lorain High

School. In 1949, at the age of 10, he started working at the

family business which was called the Lorain Cut-Rate Fruit

Company until 1933 when is was changed to Fligner’s to re-

flect the wide selection of items offered. Following gradua-

tion, Kel enrolled at Baldwin-Wallace College at his parents’

request and earned a business degree.

In 1963 Kel purchased the business from his father Morris

and grandfather Harry. Over the next 50 years, he would

watch his grocery store evolve from 2,000 to over 35,000

square feet of shopping space. Today, with the help of his son

Ben, he is the owner of one of the last independent grocers in

the age of mega-supermarket chains. Today, Fligner’s is one

of Lorain’s largest employers and is known for having the

“Largest Custom Full Service Meat Counter in Ohio.”

In reflecting on achievements at his store, Kel said, “This store

is my whole life. I don’t have any hobbies, I don’t do anything

else. It’s just the store—that’s my hobby. I wouldn’t have it

any other way.”

Vanjee is a 1993 graduate of Southview High School and con-

tinued her education at The Ohio State University and earned

her Juris Doctorate from Rutgers University. She now prac-

tices law and was named one of the top “40 attorneys under

40” by the New Jersey Law Journal. She appears on national

television and print media as a legal and political analyst.

As a member of the Model UN at Southview, she placed first in

the Jefferson Area Competition and third in the Kent State

University International Competition. These early experienc-

es have aided her in her public speaking and debate. Besides

participating in Model UN, Vanjee was in Key Club, Student

Alliance for Latino Stride and Acculturation (S.A.L.S.A.), year-

book staff, and Lorain County Urban League AIDS peer facili-

tator.

All her experiences both good and challenging while living in

Lorain have contributed to making her a better person.

EVANGELINE

“VANJEE”

GOMEZ

After graduating from Admiral King High School in 1969, Bob

attended Ohio State University. He received his Bachelor De-

gree in Physiologists Optics and then earned his Optometry

Degree, with honors, from the Ohio State University of Optom-

etry in 1975.

In high school, Bob was active in band, the golf team, booster

club, and National Honor Society (President). He met his first

and only wife Diane at King where they were classmates. He

regularly meets with some fellow Admiral King classmates for

poker games (therapy sessions).

Bob practiced optometry and served the vision needs of the Lorain community for 41 years with 7 of the years with his

father, Dr. Frank Gradisek. He and Diane have two children —Amanda and Ben.

Since retiring in 2016, he volunteers at The Lighthouse Foun-

dation. He organized the benefit concert last year for the En-dowment Fund for the Lorain Lighthouse.

BOB

GRADISEK

Admiral King

Class of 1969